Harry Potter and the True Servant
by Key and WolfStar-SCA
Summary: What would have happened if more people saw Pettigrew on that fateful night? So many people that it was undeniable that Sirius was innocent? Please Review, it keeps me writing
1. Chapter Negitive Six

**Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire**

**Chapter Negative Six: Rat, Cat, and Dog**

Harry's mind had gone blank with shock. The three of them stood transfixed with horror under the invisibility cloak. The very last rays of the setting sun cast a bloody light over the long-shadowed grounds. Then, behind them they heard a wild howling.

"Hagrid..." Harry breathed. Without thinking about what he was doing, he moved to turn back, but both Ron and Hermione seized his arms.

"We can't," wispered Ron urgently and paper white. "He'll be in even more trouble if they know weve been to see him.

Hermione was beginning to hyperventilate, "How-could-they? How could they!" she choked through her tears.

"Come on" Ron urged, though his teeth were chattering. "We should get back before we're missed."

They set back to the castle, walking as fast as they could manage under the cloak. Even still, Dumbledore, Fudge, Macnair, and the comitee member all past them by in silence at some distance. Light was fading at an alrming rate, by the time they reached the last open space to the castle the darkeness was over them like a blanket.

"Scabbers! Keep still!" Ron hissed, clamping a hand over his chest. The rat was wriggling madly. "What's the matter with you, you stupid rat? Stay stillOUCH! He bit me!"

"Ron, be quiet!" Hermione wispered urgently. "Someone might hear us!"

"He-wont-stay-put" Scabbers was plainly terrified. He was writhing with all his might, trying to break free of Ron's grip, "What's the matter with him?"

But Harry had just seenslinking towards them, body low to the ground, wide yellow eyes glinting eerily in the darknessCrookshanks. Whether he could see them, or was following the sound of Scabbers' squeaks, he couldn't tell.

"Crookshanks!" Hermione moaned. "No go away, Chrookshanks! Go away!" But the cat was getting nearer

"ScabbersNo!" Too late the rat had slipped through Ron's fingers, was plummiting to the ground. With reflexes trained to a seeker only, Harry's hand moved witn unhuman speed to clamp down on the worm-like tail of Scabbers.

"With all the screaming, someone must have heard us by now. We have to get back to our dorm fast!" Hermione insisted urgently.

Harry handed Scabbers back to Ron, the rat did not seem to awfully pleased about being caught but was shoved down in the chest pocket again all the same. They resumed their hurried baby-steps with Scabbers squirming and squeaking and Crookshanks prowling up behind them. But all of that didn't matter any more, Harry could see the steps closing in towards them. They were meters away, and the front doors were just beyond the stairs...

But it can be said that those with lives of heart ache and struggle do not know the kind touch of luck often, or for long. Not even a full meter from the front door Crookshanks pounced, catching their feet and sinking his claws into the cloak, causing all three children to topple over onto the cool ground and the cat roll to the side with the cloak and rat.

"Oh Crookshanks!" Hermione hissed in frustration, "you're being a very bad cat!" But her scolding had little effect as the three children struggled to detangle the arring pets from Harry's cloak.

"Oh it's got holes in it now!" Harry moaned, holding up his father's memento.

"Well no use crying over spilt milk, I guess we needto" Ron let the end of the sentence hang because the air seemed to fill with a low rumble. The next few moments seemed to go in slow motion; for the first time, Harry saw the dog clearly. It looked like a black lab in face and body set, but it was as shaggy as a sheppard, and as tall as a great dane. Judging by how it's head was bent forwards, pale eyes locked on them, it was getting ready to attack .

"Run!" someone, or maybe all three, cried and they balled up the stairs. Hermione was the first to reach the doors, pushing them open enough to slip through the gap between them. She was soon followed by Harry, who mirrored her motion to drop what he was holding and prepare to shut the dors. But as soon as Ron was finishing pulling himself through the large dog sunk it's teeth into his leg.

"Aaarg! Le'go you mangy mutt! Le'go!" Ron cried as Harry grabbed his arms to pull him through. Ron lifted his other leg and kicked with all his might, hitting the dog in the head and knocking it off with a yelp of pain and shock from the sudden blow. Whether the slam was Hermione shutting the door, himself and Ron flying backward into the ground, as the dog attempting to bulldose it's way in, Harry would never be able to say.

But for the moment they had more important things on their minds. "Ron are you ok?"

"Yeah I'm fine. But was that ever a close one!"

"We can marvle at our luck later. Let's get you to the hospital wing." Harry said, throwing the now useless cloak over his shoulder and pulling Ron up to his feet. With one arm over each or their shoulders for support, Ron let himself be half carried towards the set of stairs at the far end of the entrance hall.

But before they even reached the first step the front doors were blasted open, framing the silouette of Sirius Black. The children could feel the blood drain down fron their faces as the pale eyes stared down at them with a hunter's persition from under the matted black hair. Instintivly Ron's hand moved to his pocket, only to find , to his horror, empty.

"Looking for this?" came Black's crackling voice. It was clear he hadn't spoken much these last twelve years. He held up Ron's want amusingly, tauntingly, before pointing it at the three of them. "_Expelliarmus_!"

Hermione and Harry's wands flipped out of their hands and flew neatly into Black's outstreched palm. He tucked them into his robe belt and moved closer to the children, coming to hover over them like an ominous beast of prey.

Then, suddenly, Harry felt himself being pulled behind his friends. "You'll have to get past us first!" Ron stated bravely.

Black looked down at the determined thirteen-year-olds with shocked mirth before giving a bark of laughter. "Sorry to disapoint you kid, but there's only going to be one murder here tonight."

"_Expelliarmus_!" all eyes moved upwards, standing on the flight above was Professor Lupin. "Step away from them, Sirius. You have a lot of explaining to do."

"What's to explain!" Harry burst out. "He's the reason my mum and dad are dead!"

Sirius looked right into the seething boy's eyes. "I don't deny it."

Yet this caused the last person there that Harry would expect to cry out "But why?" Lupin cried, "why would the one person who could outdo James, the one who called him brother, who hated everything to do with the darkarts, turn to Voldemort? Betray the one who pulled you out of every tangle, or sink in it with you? That's not you, Padfoot, I couldn't believeit to be. They said you got bored and that's why you did it, but I know you. You never take orders from anyone. Ever. So why did you sell out? And why the hell did I just seeunless...of course...you switched, but never told me... where is he Sirius?"

Black's face was quite dead and distant as he pointed at Ron. This didn't make sense, who could they mean? Both Hermione and Harry looked at the bewildered Ron in some hope he may give some clue towhat they were on about but his returned look of shock and lost confusion put and end to that.

The attention was pulled off Ron again as a form rushed past them, it took a moment to realize what was happening. Lupin had passed them ans was now ginving Black a hug as if they were long separated kin just now reunited. Harry felt like his stomach had just lost it's bottom.

"I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" Hermione screamed. Lupin and Black broke off the embrace and turned to look at her. She had stepped away from him and was pointing with a shaky finger, wide-eyed.

"You-you"

"Hermione"

"You and him!"

"Hermione, calm down"

"I didn't tell anyone!" Hermione shreaked. "I've been coovering up for you"

"Hermione, listen to me, please!" Lupin shouted. "I can explain"

Harry felt himself begin to tremble, not with fear, but with a wave of bitter fury. "I trusted you!" he cried at Lupin, voice wavering out of control, "and all this time you've been his friend!"

"You're wrong," insisted Lupin, "I havent been Sirius' friend for twelve years, but I am now... let me explain..."

"NO!" Hermione screamed, "Harry, don't trust him, he's been helping Black get into the castle, he wants you dead, toohe's a werewolf!"

The silence which followed was deafening. All eyes were locked on Lupin. Harry was shocked, Ron was horrified, Sirius was concerned, and Hermione terrified, Lupin himself put on a good front of calm, despite the lack of color in his face giving him away. "Not up to your usual standard, Hermione." his voice was strained to mimic it's usual jovial tone, though it definately missed a certain something. "Only one out of three, I'm afraid. But five points to Gryffindor anyway, and five more for Ron's show of bravery..."

Oh, hey Gryffindor is winning..." Sirius pointed out. But a quick look from Lupin stopped the mood. "Don't go blaming Moony, it's been the ginger over there that's been helping me, and neither of us want Harry dead, that's not why I'm here."

"So you're saying that he really is a werewolf?" Ron asked, pointing. With a solum but determined nod, Lupin confirmed, and Ron jumped away, putting weight on his bad leg and hissing in pain. Lupin moved to help, but Ron gasped "Get away from me, werewolf!"

Lupin pulled back, then forced his attention to Hermione. "How long have you known?"

"Ever since I did Professor Snape's essya."

"Snape? What's Snivilus got to do with this?" Sirius asked.

"He works here, he's Potions Master." Lupin replied.

"Ah, so the slimy git finally found more like him? Does he sleep in a jar, or just keep the near all the time?"

"Padfoot..." Lupin said testingly. "Well, he will be happy someone figured it out, at least."

"Quite right, Lupin and how happy I am that it was me to find you. I've told the Headmaster again and again not to trust you, that you were helping Black..."

"Severus, your making a mistake"

"Vengence is so see"

"_Petrificus Totalus._" Snape's arms and legs snapped to his side and he fell over. "That ought to hold him for a bit." Sirius said rather casually while lowering Hermione's wand. Lupin gave him a look of disbelief to which Sirius just shrugged, "he interuppted you."

"Oh here." Lupin passed out Ron and Harry's wands and instructed Sirius to give Hermione hers before Sirius wandered over to get Snape's. "And now, Ron, I believe you have a rat with you?"

"Yeah, but what does Scabbers have to do with this?"

"Everything. Now, please?" Lupin asked again, taking the smoking goblet from Sirius, who had found it by Snape. "Ah my Wolfsbane potion! I forgot that I hadn't yet taken it..."

Ron carefully took Scabbers out of his pocket and at once Sirius began to growl, eyes locked once more on target.

Ginny looked around for eavesdroppers quickly befor ploping herself down with Fred and George. "Have either of you seen Ron? I don't think they're back yet."

"You're right, they're not here..." Fred said after a quick look around.

"Who's not here?" Percy suddenly appeared behind them.

After a quick glance, George told Percy, "They went to go make sure Hagrid is alright, but they're still not back."

Within seconds, Percy was out of the potrait hole, minutes found him banging on Professor MacGonigall's door "Professor! Professor!"

"Mr. Weasley, what is the meaning of this!"

"Professor, my little brother Ron and his two friends, Harry and Hermione, are missing!"

"What!"

"George said that they were headed for Hagrid's..."

"Then we will head for there. Being the situation, I think it best you come with me, Mr. Weasley." and with that the two hurried off. Down and down they went, cutting every corner they could manage.

"That is no rat...that is an Animagus, by the name of Peter Pettigrew." Lupin's voice wafted up from the stairway ahead.

"Mr. Weasley..." MacGonigall said, suddenly shakly. "Go fetch Professor Dumbledor. The password is 'Licorish Sticks!"


	2. Chapter Negitive Five

**Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire**

**Chapter Negative Five: Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs**

The initial response of the young audience was one of acceptance, even awe, but then, as it must eventually do for us all, common sense kicked in. They looked from Sirius-who lounged on the stairwell petting Crookshanks and keeping a constant visual on the rat-to Lupin-who was returning to his usual behavior, if not a little pailed. They even looked to the body bound Snape laying on the side. When it became clear that none of the adults present would answer their questions, they turned inward upon themselves. It was Ron who first ventured to state the obvious, "They're both mental!"

"It's rediculus," stated Hermione faintly, wishing with all her might for someone to tell her it was one big joke.

"It's impossible is what it is. Peter Pettigrew is dead!" Harry pointed out. "He killed him twelve years ago!" he pointed to Black, whose face twitched convulsively.

"I meant to," he growled, baring his yellow teeth, "but little Pettigrew got the better of me...not this time though!" Black lunged at Scabbers, knocking Crookshanks to the floor and causing the three children to topple to the ground under his weight.

"Sirius NO!" Lupin cried, dashing forward to pull the snarling dog off the scared teenagers. "You can't just do it like that! They need to understand-we have to explain--"

"we can explain later!" snarled the once again human Black, trying to throw Lupin off, one hand still clawing at the frantically squeeling Scabbers.

"They've got a right to know!" Lupin panted, using all his might to lift his friend from the ground. "He's Ron's pet, been like a friend to them! They're scared! And you owe it to Harry to know what happened to James and Lily!"

This caused Black to stop his struggling. "Fine! But make it quick, I wont wait long."

Lupin looked at the cowering children who were convinced they were looking at two murderers. He smiled softly at them, "You are quite right to have your doubts, you must have heard that Sirius killed Peter that day, all those years ago. But what you didnt hear was what only four people have ever known. I'm afraid that, to a great extent, this is all my fault. If it were not for me being a werewolfm Peter would not have been able to turn into a rat-that rat."

"But Professer...Scabbers can't be Pettigrew..." Hermione ventured.

"And why is that?" Lupin prompted as if they were in class.

"Because, the ministy keeps tabs on people trying to become Animagi. There's lists of who can change and what animal they can become, and markings those animals have. I looked Professor MacGonigall up and there have only been seven Animagi this century, and Peter Pettigrew wasn't one of them!"

"Was I one?" Black broke in.

"Well, no.." Hermione hesitated.

"Point made." Black finished simply

"Yes there were a total of three who became illegal Animagi so that I wouldnt be alone on the night of the full moon. When I was little I was unfortunate enough to stumble across a werewolf and I recieved 'the bite'. It seemed as if then and there I was never to be accepted in the world again, but Professor Dumbledore figured as long as certain procautions were taken then I would be able to live an ordinary life. So the Shrieking Shack was built, and a tunnel was made to connect it to Hogwarts. To stop anyone from stubling across me, they planted the Whomping Willow over the entrance of the hole.

"In our year there were four boys in Gryffindor, James Potter and Sirius Black who have been long-life friends, myself who was a stranger to everyone, and little Peter Pettigrew. Your father and Sirius were more than happy to have more friends, and I was terrified they would find me out. But they did, and to my shock, they accepted me for what I was. I though life could get no better then when I was with them, but there was still the full moon. But James and Sirius even found a way to make them wonderful as they announced that they were going to become Animagi and keep me company."

The transfixed teens hung on his every word, but at this Hermione put up her hand. Lupin smiled in amusement as they were treating the situations as if they were in class. "Yes Hermione?"

"How is it that being and Animagus would help a werewolf?" She asked.

"Well, werewolves are only dangerous to humans, so in becoming something else they were able to keep me company. Mind you, it took the better part of three years for them to learn, but even just the knowledge that they were trying helped me so much. By the fifth year, though they were able to each transform into a different animal. James and Sirius were so large that they could keep me in line, and under their influence I became less dangerous."

"Hurry up, Remus!" snarled Black as he grew restless for blood.

"Sirius...stay. Good dog. ("Not...funny" he growled.) Soon we began leaving the shack to roam the school and village by night. I doubt any Hogwarts students however learned so much about the grounds and Hogsmead as we did. Thats how we came to write the Marauders Map and sign it with our code names. I am Moony, Sirius is Pasfoot, Peter is Wormtail, and James was Prongs."

Dumbledore, MacGonagall, and Flitwick all stood, listening intently with Percy behind them. It didn't seem as if the students were in any danger, they were just sitting and listening, though this news was quite alarming. Yet for Sirius Black to be sitting there, talking only of wanting the blood of Ron's rat Scabbers...

Dubledore signaled to the others to wait as he decended the stairs, hearing all the while confessions from Lupin's own mouth of all that they had done and what it made him feel like. And that the kids were participating calmly showed that they were not prisoners, but spectaters like himself.

It wasn't until he saw Black cast a spell half-heartedly to beyond the others that Dumbledore saw Sanpe.

Then the conversation took a turn as Sirius rounded to Lupin, "Alright Moony, you've talked enough, now give me Peter."

Ron just pulled Scabbers closer, and Lupin intercepted before Sirius decided to pounce again. "Just relax, Sirius, you're scaring them. Leave it to me. Ron, the only way we can prove any of this is with the rat."

"Come off it," Ron said weakly. "Are you trying to tell me you broke out of Azkaban and came all this way to get your hands on Scabbers! I mean, I kinda follow the whole Animagi thing, it makes an awesome story even if it is crazy, but this is Scabbers we're talking about. He's useless, just a pet. So even if the story was true, why should we believe that you arn't after Harry, or even if you arn't, that Scabbers really is Pettigrew?"

"Well, it's Scabbers because the Maurauders Map doesn't lie, but that does bring up a good point...Sirius how did you know where to find him?" Lupin asked.

Sirius looked from one waiting face to the next, before rolling his eyes and gathering his thoughts to tell his tale.


	3. Chapter Negitive Four

Here we have it, chapter negitive 4, I'm contemplating changing the name of this series to either "Harry Potter and the True Servant" or to "Harry Potter and the Prince of Darkness" so, it's up to the readers to vote. Both have to do with what takes place in this story, and both have to do with twists that I'm going to make in the story. I hope to have the next chapter out soon, so keep hoping!

* * *

Chapter Negative Four: The Servant of Lord Voldemort

A captive audience stood around in a small semi-circle, staining avidly at Sirius Black, awaiting him telling them how exactly he came to learn where Peter Pettigrew was. But to their anxious faces he had but one simple answer. "It was quite easy, actually," he said, pulling a newspaper from the front of his robes. "He did manage to get himself on the front page, after all."

Ron recognised it at once; it was the picture of him and his family in Egypt that was taken nearly a year ago now. And sitting happily on Ron's shoulder was Scabbers. Lupin took the page from Black to look more closely at it, "How did you get this, though? It's dated nearly a full month before you escaped." He asked his friend, thunderstruck.

"Fudge," he said easily. "When he came to inspect Azkaban he let me have his paper. When I saw Peter was going to be at Hogwarts, where Harry was, I knew I had to get to him before he got to Harry."

"Yes, of course, his front paw…"

"What of it?"

"Have you heard? The most they found of dear little Peter was his finger? This finger…" Lupin said, holding Scabber's paw that was missing a digit. "I'm supposing that he cut it off himself?"

"Right before he transformed. If it had been left to me, it would have been his head."

"I can believe that."

"And now you've come to finish him off?" Harry accused.

"Yes." Sirius said simply.

"You're a nutcase and a murderer! And the Dementors should catch you and make you pay!" Harry cried in furry.

"Harry, don't you see?" Lupin tried to explain, "all this time we thought Sirius was the one who betrayed your parents and Peter tracked him down, but we had it backwards!"

"But-but he was their secret keeper, he sold them out, he said so himself!" objected Harry, tears in his eyes.

"No, I admitted to being the reason they are dead. If I hadn't come up with the stupid plan to make me **look** like the secret keeper to stop Voldemort from finding them, if I hadn't talked James into using Peter instead… cause with someone as close to them as me, as powerful as me, who would ever suspect they'd choose someone like useless, tag-along Peter Pettigrew?"

"You see Harry? That's why they couldn't even tell **me** who they switched to. Sirius knew he could hold his tongue under torture, and after they were done with him, I would be the next likely candidate, but if I didn't know, I could never tell them anything either, and Peter would be safely hidden away and no one would ever be able to hurt James, Lily, or you." Lupin explained.

Harry looked from one to the other, eyes wide, not wanting to hear what he was hearing, not wanting to know any more, and not sure what to believe of what he was hearing. Slowly, he felt his eyes begin to fill with tears, and nothing he seemed to do could stop them. "You-you were b-best man at their wedding, and hic and you were there to get me wh-when they died!"

Sirius pulled Harry to him in a hug, "I was going to check up on Peter, but found his place empty and no sign of a struggle. I figured out what happened… what I had done… and when Hagrid said Dumbledore wanted him to take you to him, I knew the only thing left was to find Peter and make him pay for what he did."

Harry pulled from the fatherly embrace and looked up at Sirius. "But how can I know you are telling the truth?"

"The only proof is sitting in Ron's hands." Lupin said rather calmly. Then his voice adopted a steely quality that they had never heard there before as he continued, "Ron, give me that rat."

"What'll you do to him if I do?" Ron asked insecurely.

"Force him to show himself." Lupin told him.

When Ron just stubbornly shook his head, Sirius made a suggestion. "Would you let him do it then?"

All eyes followed Sirius's point to Professor Dumbledore, who had stopped only a landing above. "P-Professor!" the three teens cried in synchronization.

"The one and the same, though I must state how high my disappointment is in you three for your being out of your dorms at this late hour. But your scolding can wait, I believe it is time we got down to the center of things. Ron, may I see your rat?"

Not daring to argue, Ron presented the rodent as McGonagall came down to assist. "It-it won't hurt him, will it?" Ron asked as their Transfiguration Master took a hold of the panicking rat.

"No, no! Not at all." McGonagall reassured.

"On the count of three, then Minerva? One… two… three!" a white blue light exploded from the tips of both wands; for once brief and terrible moment Scabbers was suspended in mid-air, his small black body twisting madly—Ron yelled—the rat fell and hit the floor. There was a second flash and then it was as if the rodent was a seed in a film of a tree growing super-speed.

A very short man with thin, colourless hair and a bald spot on the top stood where Scabbers had just been. He had an appearance of a rather plump man who had lost a lot of weight recently. His skin was grubby, much like Scabber's fur, and he was ringing boney clawed hands in nervous fidgeting. There was even something of a rat-like look about his face, with the pointy nose and the small watery eyes. Harry could not help noticing that the man was breathing very quickly or that his eyes were darting to the doors, hallways, and stares.

"Well, hello, Peter," said Lupin pleasantly, as though rats frequently erupted into old school friends around him. "Long time no see…"

"S-Sirius… Re-Remus…" even his voice had a squeak to it. Again his eyes flashed to the front door. "My friends… my old friends…"

Dumbledore pulled the horrified McGonagall back. "This is between them, please go and send a letter to the Minister, I believe he will want to see Pettigrew for himself." He then turned his attention to Black. "Which means that you will have to wait for your revenge until later, I'm afraid."

"Oh, don't worry yourself too much, Headmaster, I believe that Peter has a lot of explaining to do before anyone does anything to him." Lupin stated. Harry couldn't help but notice how he seemed taller somehow, and more fearsome. An aura of commanding power, similar to that which Dumbledore possessed, seemed to be radiating from him, and Harry was suddenly very glad that Lupin was on their side. "Well, Peter, what do you say to a little chat…? Sit."

Harry nearly felt his legs buckle under him, and Hermione's did, as did Pettigrew's. "Remus," he gasped, and Harry could see the beads of sweat breaking out all over his face, "you don't believe him, do you? …He tried to kill me…"

"So we've heard," Lupin said more coolly. "That's what I'd like to talk about, actually. So, if you'd be so-"

"He's come to try and kill me again!" Pettigrew shrieked suddenly, pointing at Black, "He killed Lily and James and now he's going to kill me too… you've got to help me, Remus…"

Black stared at him with a fathomless gaze, while Lupin's wolf-like stare pierced to the bone and beyond. "No one is going to kill you until we've sorted things out."

"S-sorted things out?" Pettigrew squeaked, once again taking in every escape rout possible. "I knew he'd come after me! I knew he'd be back for me! I've been waiting for this for twelve years!"

"You knew that Padfoot was going to break out of Azkaban?" Lupin ran past him again, "when no one else ever has?"

"He's got dark powers, Remus! Powers the rest of us can only dream of! How else could he have gotten out of there? I suppose the Dark Lord taught him a few tricks!"

"And why would any of us be dreaming about black magic?" Lupin asked.

But Black cut over him like a knife as mirthless laughter filled the hall with a chilly sort of dread. "Voldemort? Teach me tricks?" Pettigrew flinched as if he were being attacked by a whip. "Scared to hear your old master's name? I don't blame you, Peter. His Death Eaters aren't too pleased with you, are they?"

"Don'know-what you mean, Sirius--" muttered Pettigrew, face drenched in sweat and breath faster then ever.

"Oh, calm down before you hyperventilate…" growled Lupin at Pettigrew as he halted Sirius's lunge by catching him around the shoulders.

"You weren't hiding from me all those years, you've been hiding from Voldemort's Death Eaters. I heard things in Azkaban, Peter… they all think your dead or else you'd have them to answer to… I've heard them scream all sorts of unpleasant things in their sleep. Sounds like they think they got double-crossed by a fake spy. Voldemort went to the Potters on your information, and met his downfall. And not all his supporters ended up in Azkaban, did they? There are still plenty out here, pretending they saw the error of their ways… if any of them ever got wind that you were still alive…"

"Don't know… what your talking about…" Pettigrew repeated in a whimper. "You don't believe this-this madness, Remus--"

"I must admit, Peter, I have difficulty understanding why an innocent man would spend twelve years as a rat." Said Lupin evenly.

"Says something for the personality…" growled Sirius.

But he was over spoken by Pettigrew's squeal. "Innocent, but scared! If Voldemort's supporters were after me, it's only because I put one of their best in Azkaban—the spy, Sirius Black!"

"How dare you!" Black growled, sounding like his canine alter-ego. "I, a spy? When did I ever sneak around people who stronger and more powerful then myself? But you, Peter—I'll never understand why I didn't see you were the spy from the start. You always liked big friends who'd look after you, didn't you? It used to be us, me and Remus… and James…"

Pettigrew whipped his face, "Me? A spy… must be out of your mind… never… don't know how you can say such a thing…" and though he continued to mutter distractedly under his breath things like 'farfetched' and 'lunacy', one had to pay more attention to his ashen colour and the fact that he kept scanning the exits.

"Professor Lupin?" Hermione interjected timidly, "May-may I say something?"

"Certainly, Hermione," encouraged Lupin courteously.

"Well, Scabbers—I mean, this-this man—he's been sleeping in Harry's dormitory for three years. If he were working for You Know Who, how come he never tried to hurt Harry before now?"

"There!" Pettigrew squeaked shrilly, dancing from foot to foot and pointing at Hermione with his maimed hand, causing her to jump back in surprise. "You see, Remus? I've never hurt a hair on Harry's head, why should I?" he said, moving as if he were to hug and pet Harry.

Lupin's hand shot out and yanked Peter back, for a moment loosing his cool and looking almost as mad as Sirius. In undertones that rumbled low in his throat, he said, "Don't… you… dare…"

But Sirius was speaking over the werewolf, making it hard to make him out. "Why should you, indeed!" he barked. "The girl's smart, near genius even, but she speaks from the mind of a child still, no offence to the lady, of course. ("None taken." Hermione replied, blushing.) The fact is that you have no reason to, yet. Voldemort is powerless, and so why should you go back to him? Better to save your own neck then risk it to kill someone when it wont get you anywhere but Azkaban."

Pettigrew was muttering very quietly under his breath, but that was not where Hermione's attention was at, she wanted more answers. "Erm… Mr. Black?" Black jumped at being addressed like this and stared at Hermione as though being talked to politely was a thing he had long forgotten. "If you don't mind me asking, how-how did you get out of Azkaban if you didn't use Dark Magic?"

"Thank you!" gasped Pettigrew, nodding frantically at Hermione. "Exactly! Precisely what I--" But Lupin silenced him with a look.

Black was frowning slightly at Hermione, his head cocked to the side like a dog attempting to figure something out. Then, at last, he spoke the three most unhelpful words in the history of the human race. "I don't know." He started slowly. "I think… I think it must have had to do with the fact I was innocent helping me to keep sane. Sane enough to understand where I was at least. But I was weak, very weak… I had no wand to help me, and I felt trapped. But then I saw Peter, that he was at Hogwarts—where Harry was—none of that mattered anymore. I-it was my fault James and sweet, gentle Lily were dead, and I owed it to them to keep Harry safe! Even if there was no hope of succeeding, I had to try! I was a dead man anyway, so who cares if I went out and met death head on or waited for it to come to me?"

"I think that is enough for now." Dumbledore spoke up. Sirius was shaking and looking around in a twitching, nervous sort of way, like he was waiting for someone to jump out at him from the shadowy depths at the edges of the room. His cloudy eyes were hollow and haunted as any who lived a lifetime of torture, and Harry couldn't help but feel sorry for this convicted murderer, Sirius Black.

Lupin stepped up and put a gentle hand on Black's shoulder, causing him to jump in surprise. "It's ok, it's ok. It's just me. Dumbledore doesn't let the Dementors inside the school grounds."

"No, he shouldn't!" Sirius agreed. "Shouldn't let them near the kids… must keep them safe…"

"M-Mr. Black…? Professor Lupin…?"

"Yes, Harry? What can we do for you?"

"Um… what-what animal…" but Harry let the sentence hang unfinished.

"Was your father?" Lupin supplied. "He was a stag, just like your patronus."

"My… what…?"

"Do you remember when those Slytherin boys dressed up as a Dementor to throw off your game?" Harry nodded. "That was when you cast your first full-fledged patronus, called a 'coporeal patronus'. It was in the shape of a stag."

"A coporeal patronus? At his age?" Sirius asked, amazed.

"Yes, it took him the better part of the year, but I am very proud of him." Lupin appraised.

"Not even James and I could do that before fifth year." Sirius noted, sounding highly impressed at Harry's skill.

"Harry is very talented in Defence Against the Dark Arts." Harry could feel himself going red under all the praise he was receiving.

It was then that Professor McGonagall re-entered the room. "I have contacted the Ministry, Fudge is on his way, all we have left is to wait for him to arrive."


	4. Chapter Negitive Three

Chapter Negative Three: The Midnight Trial

It had been decided that the students who bore witness to the night's events would remain to give testimony to the truth of any statements, as they were the ones who knew Scabbers the rat best. So spread around the Entrance Hall were several small groups of people. Highest upon the stairs sat Ron and Percy together, mourning the loss of one who had, in turn, been a pet to each. McGonagall, who seemed very out of spirits herself, could be seen pacing up and down the stairs, jumping from giving conciliation to the Weasley boys to speaking with Dumbledore and back again. Snape sat nearly at the bottom of the stairs, his wand returned to him, and no more damage done then a wounded pride. He seemed perfectly content to be left alone where he could shoot dark looks at Sirius, Lupin, and Pettigrew in turn. Hermione chose pester Professor Lupin with questions about Werewolves and Animagi over by the door of the Great Hall, questions which he was plenty happy to answer. Pettigrew was kept in a corner under wand-point of Professor Flitwick and Professor Dumbledore, where they listened to him try and excuse himself out of trouble by pointing the finger at everyone else. This left Sirius with nothing to do but sit by the doors and stroke Crookshanks.

That is where Harry approached him. "Professor Lupin said you knew my dad before Hogwarts?"

Sirius looked up at Harry for a moment before replying, "Yes, our fathers had been friends once, we met back before we could even walk. We were raised together." There was a moment where Harry was trying to figure out how to phrase the next question, but Sirius spoke first. "You know what this means? Turning Pettigrew in?"

"You're free." Harry said, sitting down across from Sirius.

"Yes… but also, I don't know if anyone ever told you, but your parents appointed me your godfather."

"Yeah, I knew that." Harry said.

"Well, your parents made me legal guardian…" Sirius said stiffly, avoiding eye contact. "If anything happened to them…" Harry waited in silence. Did Sirius mean what he thought he meant? "I'll understand, of course, if you want to stay with your aunt and uncle… but… well… think about it. If wanted a… different home…"

Some sort of explosion took place in the pit of Harry's stomach. "What-live with you?" he said a little louder then he meant to. "Leave the Dursleys?"

"Of course, I thought you wouldn't want to." Sirius said quickly. "I understand. I just thought I'd--"

"Are you mad!" cried Harry, his voice easily as croaky as Sirius's. "Of course I want to leave the Dursleys! Have you got a house? When can I move in?"

Sirius looked at Harry with such an overwhelming flow of emotion. "You want to? You mean it?" his eyes seemed to search Harry's face for any trace of dislike.

"Yeah, I mean it!" said Harry. Sirius's gaunt face broke into the first true smile he had seen upon it. The difference it made was astounding, as if a person ten years younger was shining through the starved mask; for a moment he was recognisable as the man who laughed at the Potter's wedding.

"Mind you," Sirius said, "I doubt they have left me my place, but I'll get somewhere to live as soon as I can."

"The sooner the better, I just can't wait to get away from the Dursleys. Dudley especially, he's my cousin and he's done nothing but pick on me for the last twelve years. And he's twice my size, so what am I supposed to do against him? And then I'd blurp and use magic, and I would get in so much trouble, like that thing with the python and the glass…"

Sirius let out a barking laugh. "Sounds like you're a bit of a troublemaker."

"No, not at all, but trouble just has a way of finding me."

"Or rather, you go looking for it." Sirius clarified with a smile. "I know that look in your eyes, same one your father had; the one that says you can't leave well enough alone."

"Well, maybe a little…" Harry admitted with a bashful smile.

After that, words weren't really necessary, the knowledge that he was going to go live with his dad's best friend was enough, so he sat with Sirius and pet Crookshanks. How many minutes past no one could say, but eventually the doors opened and Fudge came in. To say that Fudge was unimpressed at being called back in the middle of the night was an understatement, but all his huffy attitude vanished when he spotted Black sitting by the door.

"Dumbledore!" Fudge cried, fumbling for his wand, "Dumbledore, it's Sirius Black!"

"With the number of times he has been in my office for one prank or another, I believe it's safe to assume that I know Mr. Black when I see him, but he was not who you were sent for to collect. I don't believe you've ever met Peter Pettigrew, here?"

"Pettigrew? Pettigrew is dead, Black killed him!" Fudge objected.

"So it is assumed, but then who is this?" Dumbledore signalled to the cowering form in the corner.

"Someone else. How should I know?"

"Humour an old man, Cornelius." Said Dumbledore.

"Yes, Cornelius," Sirius agreed, sounding very crazy, "humour an old man." Sirius didn't even move fast, he just reached out and took Fudge's wand out of his hand.

"A-alright. If you say so." Fudge managed through chattering teeth.

"Thank you, kindly, Minister." Sirius said, grinning madly. "Here, Harry, hold this." And he tossed Harry Fudge's wand.

"I think it would be best if we start with the children so that they can go back to the tower and go to sleep." Lupin suggested. Then he looked to Hermione, Ron, Harry and Percy each in turn. "I need you to answer all the questions the best you can, alright?"

And so it began, to stop them from just going along with what each other said, they were each in turn taken into the Great Hall, then sent into the teacher's lounge afterwards. First, to be questioned was Percy, who went in dutifully and told the truth fully to his ability.

"…playing outside and Bill and Charlie sent me to get the picnic basket, well when I picked it up, out fell this rat with a toe missing. It's not in my nature to let an innocent creature suffer, so I picked him up and put him in my room… …then I received my prefect badge and my mother wanted to get me something, so of course I asked for an owl, and being my youngest brother was going into his first year, I decided to give Scabbers to him…"

Then Ron came in, "…was always a useless freeloader, just eating and sleeping, but he was my useless freeloader, so when he started to get sick, I was worried. That dumb cat was always after him, see? And Hermione wouldn't do anything about it. Then Mr. Black broke into our dorm and almost got him, but I woke up first, so he ran away. Then one day I came in and their was blood everywhere and Scabbers was missing and… …then she pilled down the jar and there he was! Now, he was in real bad shape, but you were coming so we had to sneak out the back, and I just wanted to say now that Buckbeak was innocent, Hagrid told us how to approach a Hippogriph, but…"

Followed by Hermione, "…Malfoy just wouldn't listen! Anyway, so we got out the back and then you passed us and Scabbers—or rather Pettigrew—started trying to get away and Crookshanks pounced and tore up the cloak, then Sirius came after us… …Now I had known for ages, I mean he was always absent on full moons and he was afraid of them, but in a terrible moment of misjudgement I thought he was bad because he was friends with Mr. Black, but then they gave us back our wands so I thought we may as well hear them out. So he started telling us…"

And finally Harry, "…that they were Animagi, which was obviously absurd, but we had seen Sirius transform, so we listened to how dad and his friends found out like Hermione did that Professor Lupin was a werewolf. He told us about them exploring the castle and grounds, even so far as to go to Hogsmeed, and of the near misses that would take part when they got careless, like the one that happened when Snape tried to follow… …we were still uneasy so Sirius suggested McGonagall and Dumbledore do it instead, Ron liked that arrangement better…"

When it was over, the four Gryffindor students were sent back to bed and Fudge chose to address the adults as a whole. "I have talked to each of the youngsters in turn, and their story seems to hold true with each other, but that is not proof. I am afraid that in a matter this important, we'll have to give the suspect a light dose of truth potion. Professor Snape, if you please?"

"Of course, Minister." And Snape swooped out down the hall.

"And while we are waiting, Dumbledore, I'd like a word with you."

"Certainly, Cornelius," and Dumbledore followed Fudge to the edge of the room, away from where Sirius and Lupin were catching up on old times.

There, Fudge began to whisper, "The students seem to be under some bizarre belief that one of their teachers is a werewolf, do you know what could lead them to believing such a thing?"

"Well, the first thing that comes to mind is that it's the truth." Dumbledore suggested pleasantly.

"Dumbledore! Are you mad!" Fudge desperately attempted to convey his concern without alerting the suspicions of the werewolf or his murderous friend. "Hiring a werewolf is-is simply--"

"I have not broken any laws, Cornelius, nor have I put anyone in danger. I assure you, Professor Lupin has my fullest confidence."

"Yes… you bestow your confidence in some pretty bizarre people…" Fudge commented accusingly, to which Dumbledore only smiled.

"Minister," Snape's on nearing sneer reached the light moments before he did, "a basic grade one truth potion is all I have in stalk at the moment. It's not what the Ministry uses, but it disables a person from telling a blatant lie, so be careful what you ask, and be even more careful with what they say back."

The Minister took the potion. It was an oily blue-grey fluid with amber globules and glowed a slight grey, it smelled like oranges and rot, and the minister was sure that it had to taste simply awful. He turned first to Sirius, who's eyes were moving suspiciously between Snape and the potion. "Black! You first!"

Sirius walked up and took the bottle, sniffed it, then took a fast swig. The face he made, the violent hacking he began, drew the immediate attention of Lupin. After a frantic inquiry into his well being, he replied with, "Have you ever tried a mouthful of hot peppers?"

Lupin blinked at such a reply, before giving one of his own. "No, I was never into that sort of thing…"

"Well, I don't suggest you try it."

Lupin rolled his eyes at his friend's incurable playfulness. "Be serious for once in your life, would you, Sirius?"

"Soon, soon. I promise." Sirius waved him off. He then stood up tall again and faced the Minister. "Well, I've taken the awful stuff, what do you want now?"

"Why are you here?" Fudge asked.

"To kill Peter Pettigrew, like I was going to do twelve years ago."

"Why did you fail before?"

"Cause the cunning little bastard tricked me."

"That's not what the witnesses say."

"They didn't see what they thought they did. I was going to blast him, but he blasted the people behind his back first, then cut off his finger and transformed before I could stop him."

"And where is Pettigrew now?"

"Over there in the corner. The cowering, snivelling, lump of flesh…" Sirius growled under his breath.

"There, there, Padfoot." Lupin soothed.

"Ok, one last question for you; how was it that you not only escaped from Azkaban, but from there, came all the way to the most heavily guarded school in the world, if you don't have an assistant somewhere?"

"I got out of Azkaban because I'm an Animagus, and I got into Hogwarts because I know this school better then the Flitch." Sirius replied coolly.

Pettigrew was the next to be made to drink the potion. After a moment's complaint about it being poison, the drilling began as it had done with Sirius. "What is your name?"

"Wormtail…" Pettigrew replied.

"Black seems to think you're Peter Pettigrew, any idea how he managed that?"

"Black has been in Azkaban these last twelve years. Azkaban can unhinge a man, you know?" Pettigrew said with a sneer.

"Minister, he's twisting your words around! 'Wormtail' is nothing more then a nickname we gave him when we were children!" Lupin protested.

"Away, werewolf! I don't want you near me!" Fudge hissed. Lupin moved back, dejected.

"Why you biest, slimy, cheep--" instantly Sirius jumped to his friend's defence.

"Sirius! That's enough!" Dumbledore ordered and the convicted murderer bit his tongue. "Minister, may I ask some questions?"

"If you insist…" Fudge agreed, deflated.

"Is your legal name Peter Pettigrew?"

"Uh… well… uh… the-the Minister is asking questions…" Pettigrew insisted.

"The Minister told me I could ask you." Dumbledore replied smoothly. "Now, answer the question."

Pettigrew opened and closed his mouth many times in rapid succession, but no sound escaped from him, finally he nodded. "But it wasn't me who killed James and Lily, I've never hurt a hair on Harry's head!" he squeaked out.

"Were you not the Potter's Secret Keeper, though?"

"James chose Sirius to be the Secret Keeper. Witnesses have said that I tracked Sirius down for betraying them…"

"But you have not answered the question, I know what was heard, I'm asking whether or not you were the Secret Keeper."

"Everyone… heard… yes, I was! Alright? I was!"

"And did you not tell Voldemort, by your own free will, where the Potters were?"

"I-I-I… He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named has many means of torturing and controlling people…!"

"Were you tortured? Were you controlled?"

"He could have killed me!"

"THEN YOU SHOULD HAVE DIED!" hollered Sirius.

Pettigrew gave a rodent-like scream, and Dumbledore repeated the question, "Were you or were you not working for Voldemort by your own free will!"

At last, Pettigrew broke down, no longer able to fight the stinging in his head when he tried to think of how to avoid the answers. "Yes! I was the spy! I told the Dark Lord how to get to Harry Potter! Now just leave me alone…"


	5. Chapter Negitive Two

Chapter Negative Two: Hermione's Secret

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and Percy sat before the common room fire in silence. The events of the day rested heavily in their hearts and heads. Scabbers, beloved pet of the Weasley family for twelve years, was a servant of Voldemort. He was the one who betrayed Harry's parents and had an innocent man imprisoned in Azkaban for twelve years. An innocent man who was the key to Harry being able to leave the Dursleys once and for all, being he is Harry's godfather.

"It's funny…" Hermione mumbled, eyes focused on the heart of the flame, "…funny how the hottest embers look like their liquid… it's almost as if to say that nothing is ever what it seems…"

"I wish they would have let us stay…" Ron pouted.

"Don't worry, Ron, Dumbledore will make sure nothing happens to Mr. Black." Percy reassured.

"Dumbledore couldn't save Buckbeak, and he was innocent…" Harry accused, chest suddenly hurting from the rage that erupted at the Ministry.

They fell silent again, each lost in their own thoughts, when Dumbledore opened the portrait hole and stepped in. "It is done. Pettigrew is being taken away and Sirius is being fed. I supposed I would still find you up… Percy, I believe your brother's leg has been bitten, please escort him to the Hospital Wing for Madam Pomfry to tend to."

With all the assurance in the world of doing just that, Percy ran off dragging Ron behind. When and only when they were surely out of earshot did Dumbledore speak again. "Miss Granger, it is five minutes to midnight. Five turns should give you plenty of time, but you must not be seen. Is that understood?"

"Five turns, Professor…? Why so many? What… …you mean… Buckbeak?" Hermione asked. Dumbledore smiled at them but turned and left without another word.

"Hermione… do I **want** to know what that was all about?" Harry asked insecurely.

But she did not answer, she was pulling a golden necklace from hinder her robes. "Harry, come here **quick**!" She grabbed his arm and pulled him over, looping the chain over his head as well, leaving them standing rather close. "Get ready…"

"Ready for wha--" Hermione turned the hourglass on the pendent five full times and the world dissolved around them. He felt to be falling backwards, accelerating at an illogical pace, falling right through the folds of time and the laws of event. As if he had a tumble through the rabbit hole, his feet touched down softly and all was in focus again. "—at?"

Hermione lifted the chain from his shoulders and returned it to her robes. They were standing in the sunny Entrance Hall, the doors were open, and noise was filtering in from the Great Hall. "In here!" Hermione ordered, pulling Harry into the room, which seemed to have no greater purpose then to be a waiting area for first years before they were to be sorted.

"Hermione, explain what's happening, please?"

"We've gone back in time by five hours to save Buckbeak, but if anyone sees us, we're in big trouble. Not only Hagrid and Buckbeak, but McGonagall and Dumbledore… not to mention us."

Harry pinched himself, but found it was no dream. "Hermione, how is this possible?"

"Keep your voice down, people are starting to come out." She shushed. "We waited until the room was almost clear, remember?"

"How did we get back in time?"

"The Time-Turner, silly. I got it from Professor McGonagall to be able to get to all my classes. She had to put a lot on the line for me, so we can't be caught, got that?"

"But Hermione… if we're going to not get seen, how are we going to get back in? We don't have a cloak to pass ourselves in, and after that there are people in the way…"

"I-I don't know…" Hermione sounded truly distressed.

"Hermione… I think I just had a stroke of genius… come on, we need to hurry back to the common room."

"What? Harry, didn't you hear what I just said?"

"That no one can know that there are two sets of us running around… but we didn't go back to the common room. It's seven o'clock, by the new rules the hall is being emptied, but we had left before the teachers started shooing students out, right? So let's slip out now and join the last of the crowd."

"…Okay, I just really hope you know what you're doing…"

She followed him as they hurried back along the corridors to the Fat Lady's portrait. There they entered with the last few Gryffindor stragglers. Once inside, Harry got Hermione to go get Fred and George, and meet him at the foot of the stairs. Harry himself ran up to get his Firebolt and hurried back down with it.

"And just why do you have a broom?" Fred asked in a casual but soft voice.

"For just in case. We're going to see Hagrid before the execution, and being you two are the chief trouble makers, I was hoping that you'd help us from being discovered by anyone. It would do to be noted missing after all." Harry explained.

"Well that's for sure." Ginny agreed. She had been curled up reading in the chair that sat in the corner of the room; her scarlet locks had blended with the arm and had made it hard to see her. She rolled easily out of her cat-like curl and moved to George's left side. "What do you have in mind?"

Harry hated getting her involved too, but it couldn't be helped now. "We need a distraction to get us out of here… and if you two could open the window nice and wide in your room, then we could get in unnoticed as well."

"Gotcha, leave everything to us…" George said, pulling Fred and Ginny over to where Lee Jordan was trying to get Angelina Johnson to agree to go out with him. He pulled them into a huddle, there was much murmuring, and finally they broke apart.

Lee then picked up a seat cushion, cried: "PILLOW FIGHT!", and hit the person nearest to him. Within seconds Fred, George, Angelina, and Ginny all picked up pillows of their own and joined in. Before a full minute was passed, the whole common room was in utter chaos, with some people joining in, others running for the dorms to get away, and more still trying to stop the commotion while getting pounded on from behind. Harry and Hermione slipped out with none the wiser.

"So why the broom?" Hermione asked as they crept down the hallways towards the front entrance.

"So we can fly back in." he told her.

"Ugh! I hate heights."

"Really? But all the times we've been up high before--"

"Either I had something solid beneath my feet or there was no other choice. I suppose there still isn't…"

"It'll be ok, I'll fly us both, and you trust my skill on a broom, right?" her only reply was a nod.

In the years to come, Harry would never understand how they managed to get all the way out of the castle undetected. By the time they came to the stone steps out front, dusk was beginning to fall, the shadows of the forest in the distance were growing darker and longer.

"If anyone should look out the window…" Hermione squeaked, looking back at the castle. Then we'll run. Come on, the closest of the trees are even closer then Hagrid's hut. We can make it, come on!" With no other choice, Hermione hurried after Harry, their dash took them to the brush at the side of the lake, where they were able to stow the Firebolt and hurry along the shady shore to where they would have to dash the rest of the way to Hagrid's hut in one go.

As they neared their destination they could make out their own voices coming from behind the walls very faintly. "You-know…" Harry said between pants, "this is-the weirdest-thing we've ever-done."

"I've been doing it all year!" Hermione replied breathlessly.

"True. Let's go get Buckbeak."

"Not 'til after the Ministry officials have seen him."

"That won't give us much time… we need to introduce ourselves, too, remember?"

"Ok, then we introduce ourselves before we come out of Hagrid's, then we can go as fast as possible once they see him." Hermione suggested, inching closer to the hippogriff.

"Deal." At that moment, there was a crash of breaking china from inside Hagrid's cabin. "What was that?"

"The milk jug, remember? I'll find Scabbers in a moment."

"Then we better hurry." Harry ducked around a tree, looking intently at Buckbeak, then he whistled to get the bird-horse's attention. The hawk-like eyes locked at once on the boy, and watched critically as he lent forward in a low sweeping bow among the trees. He weighed the different consequences of bowing back verses not; then he decided that the vaguely recognized faces were indeed good ones, so he dipped his own head in response.

There was a sudden cry from inside Hagrid's nest that startled Buckbeak, and the two little Hagrid-like-things started making calming noises at him. They then backed up from view, but he could still hear them making calming noises back and forth between themselves. That is when Hagrid came out with the two little Hagrid-things and as well as a third that wasn't with them before. Buckbeak squawked his confusion at them, he wanted to know how they got around him and into Hagrid's nest without him seeing them.

But all he got for his troubles of asking was the first male Hagrid-thing to say hello again and for Hagrid to make calming noises at him. Buckbeak greeted the Hagrid-thing again and looked on as Hagrid made worried noises at the three little Hagrid-things. They made worry noises back, and then Hagrid made angry noises, which caused the little Hagrids to submit and disappear. Buckbeak vocalized his surprise at such a thing, and Hagrid made more calming noises before going back to his nest.

And then the strangest thing happened, the little Hagrid-thing popped out from behind the tree and greeted him a third time. Buckbeak supposed, as the little Hagrid played with the tether, that they must be foals that were just learning how to interact with the flock. It then started to pull on the tether and make worry noises, but Buckbeak didn't want to go into the forest with the Hagrid-colt. But it started to make angry noises, and Buckbeak began to move though he was stating his dislike of the little thing's behaviour.

This colt really was impatient, Buckbeak decided as it gave his tether yet another uncomfortable yank. Buckbeak snapped at the colt for being so rude, but walked faster all the same. The filly from earlier jumped out to help the Hagrid-colt and in a final bout of irritation, Buckbeak broke into a canter.

A loud bang by Hagrid's nest caused the foals to stop, Buckbeak cocked his head to listen for any danger, and he heard strangers squawking in challenge noises. Rustling his feathers in indignation, he listened again and soon heard Hagrid making hurt noises and calling for him.

The children, too, were listening to the commotion over at Hagrid's hut with minor worry and much amusement at actually succeeding. But much of their joy fled as Buckbeak began to pull against the rope holding him, trying to get back to Hagrid. The only thing that stopped him, though for a moment it looked like they wouldn't succeed, was planting themselves to the spot and wrapping the rope around their hands to get a better hold on it.

The voice of the excicutioner reached them, he did not seem as happy as Hagrid. "Someone must have stolen it! We should search the grounds! The forest!"

"Macnair, if someone did steal the Hippogriff, do you really think they would lead it away on foot?" Dumbledore asked, sounding very amused. "Search the skies if you will, but I'm going back to the castle. Nasty creatures come out of the forest at night. And it's a full moon…"

Nothing else was said, but they could hear the movement of several people and supposed that that meant all was safe. For the first time, Harry posed a question that had been gnawing at the back of his mind. "Hermione, how are we going to get Buckbeak off school property?"

"What do you mean?" Hermione asked blankly.

"Well, we can't leave him here, or else he'll be found and made to die anyway, right?"

"Oh, I didn't think of that…" Hermione admitted, biting at her thumb nail.

"All the entrances are blocked by Dementors…"

"…Not all entrances…" Hermione stated, "you did get to Hogsmeade, remember?"

"Yes, but that was inside, and as you keep saying, we can't be seen by ourselves. And even if we did fly out on Buckbeak, there are Dementors roaming the streets at night, and getting back in… well I guess we could bring the Firebolt with us, or even break in to Honeydukes… But the point is, is that we have to leave him somewhere that he won't be found, and then how will anyone find him to get him out?"

"I'm not talking about inside the castle; I'm talking about the one on the grounds itself!" Hermione said, eyes focused past the forest and into the dark of night.

Harry followed her line of vision, but it was already too dark to make out much on anything, just a few hills and the Whomping Willow, but nothing that seemed to help, so he decided to ask, "What exactly are you talking about?"

Hermione gave him an exasperated look, "Didn't you listen to anything Professor Lupin said tonight?"

"Of course I did! He talked about meeting my Dad, and about being a werewolf, and--"

"—And where did they put the werewolf?" Hermione asked testily.

"In the Shrieking Shack! I don't see what this has to do with--"

"You are so thick sometimes! Where is the passageway to the Shrieking Shack?"

"Under the Whomping…" Harry begun indignantly, but then he caught on. "Oh…"

"And it'll be perfect, no Dementors, and we can tell Mr. Black to pick him up in the morning, I'm sure he wouldn't mind, and everything is set!"

"Alright, but how do we know when it's safe to go?" Harry asked.

"Should be any time now, it didn't take us that long to get in, fifteen minutes at the most, and we know Hagrid stays at his hut all night long, cause he never walked in on us, and Fudge never came down, so I'm assuming he used floo powder…"

"Hogwarts uses floo powder? Why didn't anyone board them up or whatever when they thought that Sirius was trying to get in?"

"Donno, guess they never thought of it…" Hermione shrugged in reply.

"I got another question to ask…" announced Harry as they lead Buckbeak to where the tree was bent over towards them, swinging its branches, but missing all the same. "How do we get in?"

"Well, when Professor Lupin was in school they used a very long stick, but I suppose that the tree was a lot smaller then."

"I know this was too easy…" Harry said with a begrudging sigh.

"Now I've got a question to ask you." Hermione announced, grinning down at her feet.

"Shoot." Harry replied half-heartedly.

"D'you think the tree knows how to play softball?"

Harry ran that through his head again to make sure he had heard right. "What!" but he got no reply, Hermione was picking up a rock--one of many scattered at their feet—and threw it with a deadly accuracy, hitting the knot no problem at all, making the tree look like it had the full-body bind cast on it.

"I never thought my five years of pitching for a girls softball team would pay off so nicely…" she said conversationally as she walked to the gap at the roots of the ridged willow. Harry had nothing to do but fight Buckbeak to the trunk before the tree became active again. But if Harry thought getting Buckbeak to the opening was hard, it was nothing to getting the Hippogriff in.

But at last, they managed to pull the bird-horse in by nearly breaking their own backs, and started the long path down to the Shrieking Shack. It was bad enough that it was a long walk, but bending over and pulling along a reluctant Hippogriff made it tedious. Yet finally, the tunnel rose up higher and Harry could make out a room beyond from the light of Hermione's Lumos charm.

"Lupin sure did a number on this place…" Harry said as he pulled Hermione up. She looked around the room covered in a thick layer of dust and cobwebs, taking in the peeling wallpaper and the fact that not one piece of furniture was unbroken, unbitten, or unscratched.

She looked at the stains that were splashed over the faded carpet and couldn't help but wonder aloud, "Do you think that's Professor Lupin's blood or his dinners?"

Harry shot a look over his shoulder, "Probably both, now are you going to help me, or not?"

"Oh, sorry," she hurriedly replied, coming to his aid.

Finally, after about twenty minutes of struggling with Buckbeak, they managed to get a moment to sit down. To Harry's great surprise, and minor embarrassment, Hermione leaned on his shoulder almost at once. "Oh…" she groaned, "I'm so hungry…"

"But we had dinner only a few hours ago…" Harry protested.

"Wonderful, three meals in two days, and only five hours of sleep."

meals and sleep that most people did. He suddenly felt very sorry for her. He removed his cloak and wrapped it over her shoulders and legs, deciding to let her have her nap, until a thought came to him. "Hermione, if you've been living days through more than once, does that mean that you're older then us now?"

"Mmhmm… about seven months. I kept track of it somewhere." She replied sleepily.

"Then you'll be turning fifteen next year, not fourteen?"

"Mmhmm, but it doesn't matter cause no one can know."

"…So do I have to get you two birthday presents to make up for the missing one?"

"If you want… but can you ask me these questions later? I'm really tired."

"Yeah… ok… so am I, I'm starting to with that we did go up… to… Hey, Hermione, get up."

"Wha…? Why?"

"So that we can go to sleep in our beds."

"But-but it's not… Yawn! midnight…"

"I know that, but we never went up to our dorms, remember? So we don't have to stay here!"

"…Hey… you're right, we don't…"

With that decided, they got up from the dirty ground and said farewell to the bored Hippogriff, and began to trudge the long path back to the school with only their privet thought to amuse them. Harry was first out of the whole, and he made sure to hit the knot before he even pulled himself completely from the tree trunk. Then he helped the half asleep Hermione to pull herself up and scurried away from where the Whomping Willow could reach.

"Is it just me, or is it colder now then it was earlier?" Harry asked.

"Well, it would make sense, it's darker now and you're not wearing a cl—oh no! Look!" Hermione suddenly shrieked, pointing at the lake, by where they hid the Firebolt.

Dementors by the dozens were skimming the shore, coming ever nearer. Harry knew what had to be done and that every moment counted. "Hermione, think of your happiest memory and help me! Expecto Patronum."

"Ex-expecto patronum. Expecto Patronum." Hermione saw a silver mist seep from the end of her wand, Harry had said this was one of the hardest spells there was, but here she was doing it! Her confidence began to boil up inside her, she could do what even most pure bloods couldn't! That thought seemed to help the mist thicken. "Expecto Patronum!"

"They're far enough off, they're not effecting us yet! Keep thinking of your happiest memory! I'm relying on you!" Harry called, stepping farther back to clear his mind of everything save for Sirius asking to take Harry home with him. He didn't even remember chanting the kantra, just the surge of energy bursting from the tip of his wand, knocking him back a step or two as some of it fired back into his arm, and the glimmering white, almost like a ghost that lowered it's horns and charged right trough the mass of hooded figures, bucking and stomping as it went.

Harry ran after it, dragging a gaping Hermione after him, and grabbed strait for his Firebolt as the last of the Dementors were retreating from the prancing, peacocking stag. It returned just long enough to look at the two of them before it evaporated away. Hermione was just starting to come back to her full senses, and what she announced was about as far as one could get from what he was expecting. "Harry, did you see? I cast a patronus! Not a corporeal one, of course, but I did cast it! On my first try and everything!"

"That was wonderful, " Harry could not help smiling at Hermione's pride. "But come on, we have to get back to our dorms and get some sleep." Harry hovered just above the ground and helped Hermione up behind him. "Hold on tightly, I'll try and go easy for you."

"Thanks. We need to go strait back from the front door and to the left to get to our tower." Hermione reminded. Harry urged the broom upwards a little and could feel Hermione's grip tighten. "I don't like this… I really don't like this…" she was mumbling as Harry swooped over the dewy grass with ease. He brought the broom to the front door for a moment and hovered. "Harry, what--?"

"Shh! I'm trying to listen…" Harry hissed.

Harry soon heard his own voice cry through the wood, "Are you mad! Of course I want to leave the Dursley's!" With a smile on his lips, Harry pulled away and upwards they flew.

"What was that all about?" Hermione asked into his ear.

"I wanted to know when we'd be coming up." Harry replied. "We're still waiting for Fudge to arrive, though. Son now all we have to do is find the window Fred and George were supposed to have left open for us."

"I-it ought to be farther to the left… and-and to the middle view looks out over the Willow." Hermione called into his ear over the rush of wind. Zooming onward, the children swooped around and around' looking for the designated window. Hermione kept reminding Harry with things like "higher" or "too far to the left" if he veered off the course. Finally, with tired eyes straining in the full mon's light, Hermione cried, nearly throwing herself off in exuberance, and pointed upwards. "Harry! Harry look! Up a few floors and at two o'clock!"

Harry looked right where she had indicated, and sure enough stood an open window. I see it." He agreed, and swooped around to make it over. They came to slow by the windowsill, and could make out several bodies laying in beds draped in crimson velvet. "This should be it. Duck your head."

She obeyed, and he eased them in to the room, but before they even got all the way in, Fred-or maybe George, it was hard to tell at night-sat up and whispered at them. "There you are!"

The other twin rolled over and looked at them as well. "Oh thank heavens! We were getting so worried about you."

Lee, who was in the far bed, got up to help Hermione down. "What took you so long?"

Fred pulled Harry into a big hug, "I was scared that you were hurt."

"Ginny wanted to camp out on the floor to wait up for you." Lee told them, hugging Harry as well, now.

"Percy found out you left and went after you." Said George, letting Hermione breath after a rib-crushing bear hug.

"Yeah, we know." Hermione said around Fred's arms.

"We ran into him." Harry agreed.

"Where is he though?"

"And what about Ron?"

"Has something happened?"

"More then you can imagine…" Harry mumbled, before getting swept up into one of George's killer hugs. George ignored the cracking of Harry's spine and pressed further. "We can imagine a lot; now tell us what's happened to our brothers!"

"Percy has taken Ron to the hospital wing." Hermione supplied.

"What?" Fred and George cried in unison.

"What's wrong with him?"

"He'll be alright, right?"

"How'd it happen?"

"When I get my hands on the person who hurt him… oooh how they're going to pay!" George growled, marching over and grabbing his wand.

"No one's going to do anything. He hurt his leg is all, it was an accident."

"Oh…" and both the twins calmed down.

"But then what took you two so long to get back?" Lee asked sceptically.

Harry and Hermione looked at each other. How much should they tell? Eventually it would all have to come out, save the bit on Hermione's Time-Turner, but was tonight the best time to inform the twins that their brother's rat was Voldemort's servant? Harry focused on Hermione's face, her pale, hungry-looking face. All year she had been starving herself, over stressed, and under slept.

He turned to Fred and George, looking as stern as he could manage, and stated, "It's been a long day for everyone and we're both very tired. We'll answer all your questions in the morning, I promise, but right now we're going to bed. Goodnight."

Harry led Hermione out amid the complaints of the others being told to wait. "You know that they wont be happy until we've told them…" Hermione said, "and waiting until tomorrow means even more headache from a larger audience."

Harry smiled at her kindly. "Better to get it over with all at once then telling the story again and again. But leave all that to me, I don't want you to worry about it. But leave all that to me, I don't want you to worry about it. I just want you to get a nice, good, long sleep and I'll get you breakfast whenever you wake up."

Hermione gave Harry a look of true gratitude, "Thanks. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Night!" Harry called after her, before turning into his own dorm room. He pulled off his glasses and collapsed, face first, on his bed, not even bothering to remove his shoes.


	6. Chapter Negitive One

Chapter Negitive One: Post Owl Again

It was nearly noon by the time Harry came down the next day, but he came to the gathered assembly of nearly the whole house, sitting and listening to Ron and Percy retelling the story again and again. Ron was basking in the glory at protecting his rat from the deadly Sirius Black and the pity of finding out that his pet had been an illegal Animagi who served Voldemort. But already the crowd was clearing for the upcoming Hogsmead visit.

Ron pulled Harry off to the side and asked him if he was coming, but Harry shooed him on, telling him that he wanted to spend time with Sirius. But by the time he went down, Hermione was ready to join him for lunch. "Feeling better?" Harry asked as he practically skipped down the stairs.

"I will when I get a good meal in me." Laughing, the two friends continued to walk together, neither one expecting that anything could be wrong. But when they entered the Great Hall, the tension among the second and first years was nearly choking.

They watched as Ginny played go-between from her fellow second year girls to Colin Creevy and the other boys. That's when Colin spotted Harry and jumped up to hurry over. "Harry! Harry! Did you hear? The Slytherens are saying that Professor Snape said that Professor Lupin is a werewolf! And when a Ravenclaw asked him, he refused to deny it! Word is that he's resigning today!"

Harry didn't think, there was no need to, all he did was bolt right back out of the Hall and strait to Lupin's office. He could hear Lupin and Sirius talking as he ran up the hallway. "I agree with you whole heartedly, Sirius,"came Lupin's voice, "I just think we ought to wait a day or two."

"They're smart kids, we should give them as much heads up as we--"

But Sirius never finished his sentence, because right then Harry burst through the door. "It can't be true! It just can't!" he cried, tears coming to his eyes. Sirius and Lupin looked at each other as if to ask how they should respond. "You just can't leave, Professor Lupin, you're the best DA teacher ever!"

The slight look of horror that had been on Lupin's face moments before melted into a gentle smile. "I am afraid that I must, Harry."

"Why?" Harry demanded, "Just because Snape told people that you're a werewolf? Nobody cares about that! All that matters is that you're a wonderful teacher!"

"Oh, Harry... if only the rest of the world could see things through your eyes... But by this time tomorrow the owls will start coming in. Parents will not want a werewolf teaching their children, it's best that I leave now." Lupin told him, resting a loving hand on the shoulder of his dear friend's son.

Harry pulled angrily from his grasp, "So you're running away?" he accused, though his eyes still burned with the tears of sorrow he refused to let fall.

But before Lupin could come up with an answer for the young teen, Sirius interrupted. "That can wait, there's more important things to worry about now. We got word of it this morning when Fudge came stumbling in. Wormtail took off last night, right after they left the grounds. He just apperated away."

"Apperated??" Harry repeated, looking thoroughly confused.

"Apperating is an advanced magic in which space folds to allow the one disapperating to move quickly over long distances. Space makes a loud sort of bang when it touches itself, though, so it's not something one should use when trying to avoid detection." Lupin explained, easily filling the mandatory roll of tutor after a full year's practice. Harry was forcibly reminded of the noise the Knight Bus made when he had traveled on it the summer before.

"Anyway, no idea where the little flea bag could have gotten to, so I want you three to be careful, ok?" Sirius brought the conversation back. Harry nodded obediently.

"And speaking of last night," Lupin spoke up, "the Marauders Map showed something quite curious, that I thought would be wise to wait until I was alone with you before I disgusted it..."

"Do you want me to leave?" Sirius asked.

To which Lupin pondered for a moment, "No, I'm not quite sure yet if that's strictly necessary. It's best to leave the decision up to Harry." He then turned to the boy in question and stated, "Last night, the night of your friend Hagrid's trial, I was fully aware that you, Ron, and Hermione would attempt a visit with him, and so I chose to watch your progress through the aid of the map. But as I watched it, I found the most peculiar thing, and it even lead me to question the authenticity of the map when dealing with Sirius and Peter. You see, not more then ten minutes after you three left the castle last evening for Hagrid's, you and Hermione left the castle once more to follow yourselves to the same destination..."

Harry's eyes lit up at the memory of why he felt so tired and hungry, and why he had proceeded to tell them all about Hermione's Time-Turner and about them saving Buckbeak and putting him in the Shrieking Shack. Then Harry begged them to take him and to his relief they agreed quite happily, laughing at the prospect of Harry's little adventure and the trouble they would have caused if they had owned such an object in their youth.

So with that problem solved and out of the way, he went on to tell them about the Dementor's fight and his patronus, but Lupin and Sirius cut him off there. "You fought all those Dementors?" Sirius gaped.

"Have you had any chocolate yet?" Lupin quizzed, opening the drawer that Harry knew he kept a spare few bars in for their training sessions.

"They didn't hurt you at all, did they?!" Sirius pressured, grabbing hold of Harry's shoulders and looking him over as if he would suddenly be able to see damage to his godson that he hadn't been able to before.

"I'm fine. Hermione was able to set up a shield for us before they even got close, and I was able to drive them off."

"You should have some chocolate, all the same. Here, eat this." Lupin said, holding out a chocolate frog as Sirius stepped out of the way to let Harry go and collect it. Out of force of habit, Harry pulled out the card and looked at it. Bowman Wright was the name that glistened up at him.

"You collect them?" Sirius asked, watching him.

"Sort of. Ron does, and he got me into the habit." Harry said, shrugging.

The room fell silent, Harry slumped in a chair, Sirius leaning against the desk with his arms crossed, and Lupin moved from place to place gathering his things into his briefcase. Harry, not wanting to look at either of them, let his eyes wonder until they landed on the Marauder's Map. "You... told me once... that Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs would have tried to lure me out of the school. That they would have found it funny..."

"Yeah, I could have seen us pulling a stupid stunt like that." Sirius cemented off hand. "We were a bunch of idiots back then."

"And I have no doubt that James would have been very disappointed if his son never found any of the secret passageways around the school."

Then with a casual glance down at the map, Sirius announced, "Dumbledore's coming." and then swiping Lupin's wand, which was laying on the desk, he gave the wand a casual tap and said in an almost bored voice, "mischief managed."

There was a tap on the door where Dumbledore had just appeared from around the corner. He didn't seem surprised in the least to see Harry in the room, just smiled kindly and addressed Lupin. "Your carriage is at the gates."

"Thank you, headmaster" Lupin picked up his old suitcase and Sirius grabbed the Grindylow tank. "Well, goodbye, Harry," he said smiling. "It has been a real pleasure teaching you and your friends, and I'm sure I'll meet you again someday."

"Someday? What's this someday talk? If you think you can worm your way out of visiting..." started Sirius, waving Lupin's wand threateningly at him. Lupin merely held out his hand and Sirius surrendered the wand quietly, scooping up the Marauder's Map instead.

"There's no need to see us to the gates, Headmaster. We can manage..." something in Lupin's tone gave the impression that he wanted to leave as soon as possible with as little notice to his departure as could be managed. Though traveling with an ex-convicted criminal made that somewhat harder. Still, Dumbledore stayed with Harry as the two canine Marauders wondered along the old familiar corridors of the school.

As Lupin brushed aside a hanging tapestry that covered a passage down a long flight of stairs, Sirius piped up, "Being here again, it reminds me of the old days. I can't help expecting to turn around and see Prongs..."

"I know," said Lupin, jumping a trick step before pushing on a brick with his elbow to get yet another secret passage to open and revealing even more stairs. "But he is here, he's in us... and in Harry."

"Yeah, I had a dream last night." Sirius announced as if it were amazing. "I dreamt that we were young again, fun-loving and care-free, pestering Regulus and Snivelus..."

"You know, for being your little brother, you sure were hard on Reg." Lupin pointed out.

"He was a Death Eater, not to mention mother's favourite. I should have lived with the Potters all along. James was my brother, Reggy was just my blood."

"If you say so..." was Lupin's solemn reply.

"It was as they came from a secret door on the ground floor that Sirius, eager to keep his mind off a less-than-perfect childhood, changed the subject. "So, Remus, whereabouts do you live now?"

"Well, mostly in den-homes. Work is hard to come by as a werewolf." Lupin replied.

"Den-homes? But-Aurors do raids on those sorts of places!"

"Well, yes... but--"

"But nothing!" Sirius growled as they climbed into the waiting carriage. "You're my last friend, I won't let you do something so dangerous! I know how it works when they do those raids! They come on the full moon and kill whatever moves, saying it was attacking them! I wont stand for it! You'll come live with Harry and me!" Sirius insisted.

Lupin looked at Sirius for a long moment. "You're asking me... to come be part of your family?"

Sirius gave a snort. "I'm not asking anything, I'm telling you."

"Well, I don't know if I should feel scared or not that not even Azkaban could shrink that head of yours. I think I need to find a miracle worker to make you humble." said Lupin with a teasing glint in his eye.

"James was worse." Sirius retorted as they got out of the coach.

"Lily was a miracle worker, but even she was not good enough for you."

"I never saw her as anything more then a sister or a friend, James did."

"Oh, is that what we have to do? Find someone who can turn our killer canine into a love-sick puppy?" Lupin asked with a laugh.

Sirius let out his own bark-like laugh. "Only if you could track down Becky Darcy." but after a minute to let themselves laugh, Sirius sobered somewhat. "But more then what I want, I'm concerned about Harry. I may be his godfather, but I don't know anything about him. You, on the other hand, are his teacher-his mentor-you know him already."

"Are you sure you want me? I'll be more trouble then I'm worth..." Lupin tried to warn.

"Oh, good lord!" Sirius growled. "Moony, you're living with us, simple as that. Now, let's go get ourselves a Hippogriph!"

* * *

Harry spent most of his time over the next few days torn between ecstasy and depression. Sure enough, the letters arrived to Dumbledore about Lupin's condition. Though upset about Lupin having to leave, he was also thrilled about being able to live with his godfather.

Malfoy was furious about Buckbeak. He was convinced that Hagrid found a way of smuggling the Hippogriff to safety, and seemed outraged that his father had been out-witted by a game keeper. Percy, on the other hand, had much to say about the injustices served to Sirius Black. "If I manage to get into the Ministry, I'll have a lot of proposals to make about the Magical Law Enforcement!" he told the only person who would listen: his girlfriend Penelope.

Though the weather was wonderful, though the atmosphere was cheerful, though he knew he'd soon me living with someone who'd love him, Harry had never approached the end of the school year in worse spirits. Harry certainly wasn't the only one upset to see Professor Lupin go, Seamus Finnigan and Dean Tomas had a long discussion on what their next teacher might be. But Harry was also weighed down by Professor Trelawney's production. He kept wondering as to the location of Peter Pettigrew, whether he had yet located Voldemort. And how long it would be before the next reign of terror.

It was actually a letter from Sirius that broke the tension in a most surprising manor two days before the end of term. Harry, Ron, and Hermione were out in the grounds, enjoying the sun while the older students sat their NEWTs and OWLs. Harry was lazing about while watching a group of students play a game of quidditch while Hermione and Ron played exploding snap.

The peaceful atmosphere was suddenly shattered by an excited hooting, followed by something small and grey crashing through Ron and Hermione's game. "What the? What is that?" Ron cried as the grey thing zoomed around them.

In response, Harry got to his feet quickly and snatched the grey thing out of the air. It felt something like a fluffy snitch. After a moment, Harry realized that it was actually a very small owl. Crookshanks, who had been sunbathing on some nearby rocks, moved to examine the source of the commotion. Harry hadn't noticed and just took the letter and let the owl go. Ron jumped at once to catch the over-excitable bird before the cat did.

Hermione pulled Crookshanks onto her lap and asked, "Who is the letter made out to?"

"Me," Harry said, sinking to the grass, "but I don't know the writing..."

"What's it say?" Ron asked.

Opening the letter, Harry began to read aloud:

_Dear Harry,_

_I'm writing to let you know that it will be about a week before I can take you in. I wish it could have been right away, but I'm having trouble finding a place for us._

_Buckbeak is a wonderful beast, and I was thinking of keeping him with us. But we can talk about all of that later. _

_There's a few things I never got around to saying that are just on my head now. I'm sorry that I never was there to be part of your life growing up, and then when I finally did see you, that night last year when you ran away from your aunt's house, I think I gave you quite the scare. I had only hoped to catch a glimpse of you before heading on my way. _

_Remus says they didn't give you permission to go to Hogsmead before you left, so I enclosed that as well for you to give to McGonigall. I really must say that you fly beautifully, better then your father even, and I enjoyed seeing you play immensely. That's why I went ahead and got Crookshanks to help me get you the Firebolt._

"Ha!" Hermione interrupted triumphantly. "See! I told you it was from him!"

"But he hadn't hexed it, had he?" retorted Ron before... "Ouch!" the tiney owl, now hooting happily in his hand, had nibbled one of his fingers in what it seemed to think an affectionate way.

_I'm nearly at my destination, a job interview, so I best be signing off. My best regards to your friends._

_I will see you soon_

_Sirius_

_P.S. _

_Seeing as it's my fault your friend Weasely lost his rat, perhaps he would like to keep this owl?_

Ron's eyes widened, the minute owl still hooting in his hands, "Keep him?" he asked uncertainly. He eyed the owl a moment, then, to the other two's great surprise, he held it out for Crookshanks to sniff. "What do you reckon? Definitely an owl?"

Crookshanks purred while Harry and Hermione laughed aloud.

"That's good enough for me!" Ron exclaimed. "He's mine!"

Harry handed in the permission form to McGonigall, and began his dread at returning to the Dersleys for a short time. The exam results came in the next day, and the trio were glad to find that they had passed every subject. Harry was awed that he had gotten through Potions. He had the shrewd suspicion that Dumbledore had stepped in and stopped Snape from failing him on purpose. Snapes behavior towards Harry this last week had been quite alarming. Harry wouldn't have thought it possible that Snape's dislike for him could increase, but it certainly had done so. A muscle twitched every time he looked at Harry, and he was constantly flexing his fingers as if itching to place them around Harry's throat.

Other then Potions, Harry had descent marks, passing Divination with a surprisingly high mark for faking his work all the time. He supposed much of it had to do with the fat that Professor Trewlawney apologized about Harry's foresight on Buckbeak's escape. Harry was also very surprised to find that he had beaten Hermione in Defense against the Dark Arts, which she insisted was all due to to bogart. Other then DADA, Hermione had as perusal, achieved top scores in every one of her classes for the year. Ron had achieved a middle range score, not excelling in any one field, yet not really falling too far behind in any either.

Though the NEWT and OWL scores would not be sent out until the first week of summer, both Percy and Penelopy were confident that they had achieved top-grade scores. They even went so far as to debate the questions and essays and debate the answers for their essay questions. Fred, George, and Lee Jordan decided to celebrate the finishing of their OWLs by letting loose all the Zonko's Joke Shop merchandise that they hadn't yet used for the year. Oliver Wood gathered his players for a farewell lap of the Quidditch Pitch, wished Harry luck with his Firebolt, and gave his last speech as Team Captain.

The feast that night was a grand one, with scarlet and gold adorning everything, including Dumbledore. The Gryffindors won the House Cup for the third year running, thanks in great part to the Quidditch team. There were cheers for the fact that another year of hard work was over, that everyone managed to pull through, and that there were two whole months ahead before they had to start again.

Down at the seventh year's side of the four house tables, there were also some tears, goodbyes to a place that had been their home for nearly a decade now, and that many would never have the opportunity to see again. As always at this time of year, a blanket of uncertain excitement was flooding from that side of the room. And though Harry shared their anxiousness over the new beginnings of all their lives, he was able to loose himself in the moment, knowing that the uncertain future would only last two months before he returned to familiarity.

* * *

As the Hogwarts Express pulled out of the Hogsmead Station the next morning, Hermione gave Harry some surprising news. "I went to Professor McGonagall this morning before breakfast. I've decided to drop Muggle Studies."

"But you passed your exam with three-hundred-and-twenty percent!" cried Ron in disbelief.

"I know," Hermione sighed, "but I can't stand another year like this one. Without Muggle Studies and Divination, I will be able to have a little extra time next year."

"To do what? Read books?" Ron teased.

"Are you sure we shouldn't tell Ron about the Time-Turner?" Harry whispered to Hermione when Ron turned to try and shush his new owl.

"I'd be in enough trouble as it is if anyone found out that you know. It's top secret!" Hermione hissed in reply.

"What are you two whispering about?" Ron asked suspiciously.

"What to get you for Christmas." Hermione replied with ease.

"Oh, that's easy! Something to do with the Chuddly Cannons." Ron told them. They both nodded in reply. "Speaking of which, did you guys know that the Quidditch World Cup will be in Britain this year? My dad's going to try and get tickets for us. Maybe I can talk him into getting one for you too, Harry?"

"That would be wonderful!" Harry exclaimed with excitement.

That started a long conversation about Quidditch that left Hermione to sit and read, while stroking Crookshanks over to one side. When the lunch trolley came, Harry got himself a good sized meal, though nothing with chocolate in it. After that, it was agreed that they would play exploding snap. The train moved on, passing increasingly taming terrain, and the students undressed from their school robes to enter the world of the mundane once more.

As the Hogwarts Express entered Kings Cross Station, and Harry exited platform 9¾ before saying goodbye to his friends, the thought in his head was that in nearly a week he would have a new family. And that is how he greeted his aunt and uncle, smiling brightly. "I just wanted to let you know, I'll only be living with you for about another week. My Godfather will be coming to get me after that."

"Godfather?" Vernon asked, "You don't have a godfather!"

"Yes I do, he was best man at my parents wedding, and said Aunt Petunia has met him. He has been in jail the last twelve years for murdering a street full of people, but he's out now and wants me back."

"Oh good lord, not that walking hell..." Petunia grumbled to herself as they followed Harry out to the car.

* * *

Wow, it has been ages since I last updated this one, and to all you few people who liked it, I am very sorry it took so long. But if you take into concideration that I did the blue printing way back before Order of the Pheonix came out, the fact that this story is even seeing the light of day is amazing. And yeah, I'll admit it, this one isn't my very top priority story, but seeing as I have past the seventh book planned, new enemies, friends, family, and adventures, plus perhaps something of a history if I ever get enough of this main story line done to suport a history, as long as I keep writing it, this story has a very long way to go. Well, on the plus side, I've finally gotten to the fourth book and the begining of what is the true story. Chapter Zero will basically be a transcribing of chapter one in Goblet of Fire with some key elements changed, but after that, it will begin it's endless snowball away from the original plot. Anyway, reveiw if you like it, flame if you don't, I don't really care, I write for myself! Just tell me what you think, and if you like it I'll keep giving you more. If you don't... I'll write it anyway, you'll just never see it.

Enough rambling. I've got stuff to write. Shade and Sweet Water everyone!


	7. Chapter Zero

﻿Chapter Zero: The Riddle House 

In a tavern, within a small town called Little Hangleton, late at night a traveler entered, in a way that only those who travel alone ever could. He was bundled up so not to see his face, for it was a stormy night and the wind lifted the rain so that it almost flew up at you. The stranger ordered an ale, and inquired for rooms, and upon receiving both, he wondered over to sit before the roaring fire.

The locals who already sat around the blase eyed their newest companion curiously. "We don't get many travelers that come through here, especially not this late at night. What's your story, my lad?" one of the elderly folk inquired.

"Nothing, really, I'm just passing through on my way to visit my mother who is sick. The car was low on gas and I was tired so I thought I best stop for the night." the stranger replied, while pealing off a few of the outermost layers. "But please, I'd rather not think of it just now. Surely there must be an old bar tale or something that you could share with a passer-by?"

"Well, there is one, a mystery of epic proportion. Not no one ever figured it out, neither." one woman slurred over her drink.

"Ah, yes, the Riddle House." another agreed knowingly. "That's a horrid strange murder, that. No evidence, no clues, no cause, just three dead bodies at a dinner table!"

"I'm listening..." the stranger prompted.

"Well, I don't reckon you could see it in all this weather, but atop the hill over there, is a mansion. Mind, it's been empty these fifty years so it ain't much to look at no more, but once it was a magnificent place..."

Flashback

﻿The Riddles, a fine set of rich folk with their only grown son, were the richest family in not only the little village,but all the surroundings as well. As such, they behaved and were treated like rich folk are. Everyone was nice to them, laughed at their jokes, but no one really liked them. But that was fine, for they did nothing really to be liked for, other then wave their money around in everyone else's faces.

It had been a dawn, like any other dawn, the morning maid had come to clean before the cook arrived to make their breakfast. As perusal, she went first to the dining room to clean away what was left of their dishes. She took them to the sink in the kitchen and left them there to return to once the cook had arrived and the family had gotten up. Then, she moved to the drawing room to stir the fire and place on a new log.

But upon entering, she was met by a sight that made her cry out in terror: all three Riddles lay there dead.

The maid ran, screaming, down the hill and into the village, rousing as many people as she could manage. "Lying there with their eyes wide open! Cold as ice! Still in their dinner things!"

The police were summoned, and the whole of Little Hangleton was seething with excitement. Nobody bothered to waist their breath with pretending to be sorry for the Riddle's untimely demise. Instead the things being said were all of how, and who. For even the most inexperienced and unknowledgeable of the villagers could tell that this reeked of murder. Because three apparently healthy people did not drop dead suddenly of natural causes, especially not on the same night as each other.

﻿That evening, The Hanged Man—the very tavern that the elderly sat around and told the tale to the stranger in—did roaring trade that night, as the whole of the village-every single person old enough to enter-had turned out to discuss the murders. They were rewarded for leaving their firesides when the Riddle's cook arrived dramatically in their midst, and announced to the suddenly silent pub that none other then Frank Bryce had just been arrested.

"Frank! The gardener?" several people cried, "Never!"

There was a rush to buy the cook drinks and hear more of the details. "Always thought he was odd," she told the eagerly listening villagers after her fourth sherry. "Unfriendly, like. I'm sure if I've offered him a cuppa once, I've offered a hundred times! Never wanted to mix, he didn't."

"Ah, now," said a woman at the bar, "he had a hard war, Frank. He likes his life quiet, that's no reason to--"

"Who else had a key to the back door then?" barked the cook. "There's been a spare key hanging in the gardener's cottage far back as I remember. No body forced the door last night! No broken windows! All Frank had to do was creep up to the big house while we were all sleeping last night and..."

The villagers exchanged dark looks. "I always thought he had a nasty look about him, right enough." grunted a man at the bar.

"War turned him funny, if you ask me," said the landlord.

"Told you I wouldn't like to get on the wrong side of him, didn't I, Dot?" said one excited girl in the corner.

"Horrible temper," said Dot, nodding fervently, "I remember when he was a kid..." By the morning, hardly anyone doubted Frank Bryce had killed the Riddles.

* * *

﻿At this point the people sitting around the fire began to argue among themselves as to how exactly things had happened next. But though the stories varied, they all seemed to agree on the fact that Frank had been taken to Great Hagleton, where he insisted over and over that he was innocent, and that he had seen some strange teenaged boy lurking around. The only description he had seemed to be able to come up with was that he had dark hair, and that he was a stranger. But seeing as no one else had seen any such boy, everyone was convinced that he had just invented him. 

But, the story went, that when things seemed hopeless for Frank, and this is where everyone's story became in agreement once more, the doctors report had come in. The police had never read an odder report, for it turned out that none of the Riddles had been poisoned, stabbed, shot, strangled, suffocated, or (as far as they could tell) harmed in any way. In fact, the report continued in a tone of unmistakable bewilderment, the Riddles all appeared in perfect health—apart from the fact that they were all dead.

The doctors did note, however, as though determined to find something wrong with the bodies, that each of the Riddles had a look of terror upon their faces—but as the frustrated police said, who ever heard of three people being frightened to death? As there was no proof at all that the Riddles had been murdered, the police were forced to let Frank go. The Riddles had been buried together in the Little Hagleton churchyard, and their graves remained an object of curiosity to that very day.

* * *

﻿A pair of blood red eyes opened with a sudden start as the sound of rustling could be heard from outside the old abandoned den. A hiss to the left informed the knowing ears that something small was approaching, something like that of a rodent. Suddenly from around the edge of the den's entry hole poked the form of a rat. It looked in for a moment, before turning into the form of a groveling, cowering man. 

"M-Master..." the man whimpered.

"Peter Pettigrew... no, Wormtail..." a high pitched voice responded. "You interrupted one of my favourite memories..."

"Ah, forgive me Master, I-I thought that I should come to you as soon as I found out where you were..." Wormtail insisted, shifting his wight and looking around.

"Don't lie to me, Wormtail, it's not an intelligent course of action." the voice insisted. "Perhaps I should have Nagini eat you..."

"Oh, please, no my Lord!" Wormtail pleaded advently.

"Very well, I believe I have a use for you anyway..." the higher voice grumbled.

"Why, thank you my Lord, what do you wish of me? I am your loyal and obedient servant..."

"Obedient I believe, but loyal, never."

"I am hurt by the fact you don't trust me, my Lord! I, when no one else would, I hunted you down to return to you!"

"Oh, enough of you're lies! I can see it, the truth is like a book written within your eyes. You only came to me because you have no where else to go."

Wormtail mumbled about something sounding vaguely like 'preposterous', but gave no further attempts to argue the fact.

"However," the voice stated, "I can not just let you go for abandoning me to rot these last twelve years..." a wand was lifted and pointed at the balding man. "Crucio!"

In a little room, hundreds of miles away, Harry Potter awoke with a start.


End file.
